A Playground Perspective
by mahlia
Summary: Every teenager longs for independence, but when you're a hero, independence often comes at a price. Wally, in the aftermath of "Misplaced", thinks not about the freedom he longed for, but if and when he would ever be ready for it.


Hello again! I know it's been a while since I've posted anything original or standalone for Young Justice, and I have to say:

It feels good. :)

This was written in response to the episode "Misplaced". Something in Wally's facial expression during the scene in the gym, when he told Artemis he didn't need to see another empty house, really got me thinking about what his reaction would be after all of this. Hopefully you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This is rated K and Young Justice and its characters are the property of DC Comics. I make no profit from this.

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><p><strong>A Playground Perspective<strong>

The sun was bright and a gentle breeze carried the warm scents of autumn through the air. The sounds of children playing drifted across the playground toward Wally, who watched from a distance while leaning against the sun-warmed brick of Keystone Elementary School. His shoulders were slouched and his hands shoved in his pockets, his eyes a dull green and his face uncharacteristically despondent.

Keystone High School was attached to the elementary building and because of that, a mentor program had been established since high school students regularly interacted with elementary students. Wally chose to work playground duty, much to the relief of the teachers who had him in their classes in the afternoons. An exercised Wally was a focused, _quiet_ Wally, they'd found, and he was perfect for the job. On his days to monitor the kids on the playground, he could be found chasing them around and making them shriek with laughter.

On days when it wasn't his turn and he had no studying or homework to catch up on, he would be out there chasing and laughing right along with them, only without the whistle around his neck. Today, though, despite the fact he was caught up on homework and somehow managed to eat enough to be full and ready to go, he couldn't make himself walk out there.

He sighed and glanced toward the boulevard lined with the fiery red and orange maple trees, watching the leaves flutter to the ground. Things had been... weird since the events of November fifth. Klarion had disappeared without a trace. Zatanna had moved into the cave since her father was now under Nabu's control, and she spent a lot of time alone. Robin, when it was clear Zatanna had to deal with losing her father on her own, stopped trying to talk to her and mostly stayed in Gotham. Artemis and Megan both spent a lot more time at home, and Wally came up with a myriad of reasons to always be with Barry, on patrol or otherwise.

Although no one wanted to admit it, they were all terrified of being left alone and having to assume the roles of the entire Justice League again. And while denial had been a regular state of being for Wally the last several months, even _he_ couldn't sweep this under the rug and forget about it. So that, in addition to what had happened during their training run a while back, left them all feeling incredibly insecure and paranoid. And he still couldn't ignore the pain and anxious tightening he felt in his chest every time Artemis left the room.

Wally's thoughts skipped to Roy and the conversations they used to have about how much better things would be if they were out on their own. They wouldn't have to rely on anyone else and could make their own decisions, getting out from under the "sidekick" label Roy so vehemently despised. He found it difficult to understand and relate to how Roy felt. He never minded working with a partner or a team, and was comfortable taking orders to a certain point. In turn, Roy never understood how Wally could look at it that way and be okay with it. But then again, Roy didn't have people like his grandfather and Uncle Barry to look up to, either.

Though he hadn't talked to Roy since this all happened, Wally was sure Roy was handling this relatively well simply _because_ he wasn't as attached to everyone like Wally and the team were. Roy had been self-sufficient for a long time now, and he hadn't depended on Ollie in the way Wally depended on Barry. And while he always looked up to and felt envious of Roy, it was never more apparent than now. He'd give anything to dispel the ridiculous fear of abandonment he'd felt ever since Roanoke. A slight vibration startled him and brought him out of his reverie. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and noticed a text message from Roy, of all people, and it was oddly sympathetic.

_Haven't heard from you in a while. You okay?_

Wally had to think about that question for a few minutes before being able to reply and the hesitation bothered him. He normally wouldn't lie to Roy because it never worked anyway, but he just wasn't in the mood to talk. He only needed one hand for the short reply:

_Peachy._

He turned the phone off and stuck it back in his pocket. He couldn't understand why he was dwelling on this so much. Other than Zatanna, of course, they were all okay. Families had been reunited, order restored and that should have been the end of it, right? So why were they all acting like kids who couldn't find their parents at the mall? It didn't make sense. He frowned and glanced out at the playground, watching as a soccer game turned into a wrestling match after the striker used his hands to knock the ball down. He reached for the whistle around his neck but remembered it wasn't his day to be in charge. The fight was quickly and easily broken up and the game resumed.

No longer concerned about the fight, his thoughts rushed back to a conversation he'd had with Rob after the first assignment they planned and executed themselves as a team. They'd had no assistance or intervention from the League, no arguing or squabbling over who was in charge. It had been almost the exact _opposite_ of Santa Prisca. Since then, they had been given more complex and difficult tasks and, until recently, they'd been able to handle them without a single iota of trouble. When Wally questioned Rob about what changed, Rob explained they'd needed to prove themselves before they were trusted with anything more serious. He'd also had to follow the same rules with Batman at first: everything in stages, you can't move on until _he_ thinks you're ready. And it wasn't up for discussion or debate.

Wally thought they _had_ been ready for anything until that training exercise-gone-wrong. His mind, skilled in reasoning, science and following a process, had been shaken to its very core when Megan's emotions interfered, overriding everything rational and objective. He wasn't used to emotions getting in the way of logic and that's _exactly_ what happened. And Artemis died as a result. So did Robin. So did _he_. It's why he always found solace in facts and formulas, equations and compounds. A plus B always equaled C. No deviation, no surprises.

After that he started second-guessing himself and second-guessing his instincts, something he'd _never _done. He worried about everyone else and became distracted and sloppy. His thoughts were constantly discombobulated and disorganized, skipping from one thing to the next in a manner he couldn't control. Things had improved lately and he was nearly back to his old self when Klarion showed up in Roanoke and wreaked his special brand of chaos. In a split-second, anyone with any authority or experience disappeared, literally leaving children to deal with such an ordeal alone.

Thankfully they'd had their abilities, their teamwork and their training. Instead of panicking and losing their composure, they instantly snapped into action and did what they did best: save others and restore order. In the most recent scenario, it involved some babysitting and acting skills in addition to their normal gig. Trying to act like you're perfectly fine in front of a gymnasium full of terrified children was a lot more difficult than it sounds, especially when you're all scared of the same thing: being alone.

Wally sighed and went back to watching the leaves fall from the maples along the boulevard, his thoughts changing course yet again. It's strange how not that long ago he and Roy had been talking about how much Wally craved independence and the freedom to do what he pleased. He wanted a break from the structure and the pattern his life had fallen into. School, evenings and weekends at Mount Justice doing his Kid Flash thing, and Sunday meals with Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris. Rinse and repeat. He absolutely _loved_ being Kid Flash and working as part of the team, but he'd craved _more_. A chance to get out on his own and see what he could do, what he was capable of. Roy only smiled and raised an eyebrow, flashing him a knowing smirk as Wally told him about it.

Now, however, the freedom and independence he'd craved like peanut butter, banana and Junior Mint sandwiches was the _last_ thing he wanted. He _wanted_ to be given directions and assignments. He _wanted_ to be told what to do. He wanted to be sure someone would be there to catch him if he fell. He needed to know the safety net was there before he jumped- he wasn't ready to strike out on his own just yet without the safety harness…

_You're spending way too much time with Rob lately, dude. Knock it off._

Wally shook his head and sighed again. Black Canary had been one hundred percent right in telling Wally he was in denial. And Wally had been one hundred percent truthful in telling her he was perfectly fine with that. What he _hadn't_ said was that people should start calling him a pharaoh because he was the King of Denial. While he'd been secretly proud of that joke, denial was the only thing keeping him afloat right now.

He normally would have gone to Robin with all of this, but he felt silly complaining about it. They were all trained well. They all had their strengths, their knowledge and their experiences that made them a well-functioning, mostly self-reliant team. They were all mature adults and had been trained to handle themselves under the greatest of stress. That definitely wasn't anything to complain about to someone like Robin, who had already been through more at his age than most people would experience in a lifetime. Besides, a lot of lessons in life were learned through experience, and despite the fact they'd been through so much, there was still a lot left to…

A young boy with dark hair flew past him and scurried down the sidewalk on his way to the playground, interrupting his train of thought. Wally watched as he waved his arm in the air and called out to his friends who were playing soccer. He tilted his head and squinted. The boy looked remarkably like Billy. Billy Batson. The kid who was…

_Captain Marvel_.

The kid who actually was a _Boy_ Wonder. He had been the one who had led the charge and got everybody thinking and moving again, going between the dimensions and not hesitating at all. He was a perfect balance: in his off-time, he was Billy, a fun-loving goofball. As Captain Marvel, he was a fun-loving goofball who tried everything he could to make sure he did his job as a hero, not worrying about falling because he knew someone would be there to help him up. He had complete faith in those around him, un-rattled by recent events because he didn't over-analyze. He approached everything with the unique perspective of a kid who hadn't tried to be anything _but_ a kid.

Wally squared his shoulders and glanced out at the playground, his mind racing in a way only his could. He and the team weren't meant to carry the world on their shoulders. They weren't supposed to take everything on as adults because they _weren't_ adults. So of course situations like Roanoke would bother them. They'd worried about not having anyone there to catch them, completely forgetting about each other and that despite the fact they were all teenagers, they were _more_ than capable of catching each other.

He felt a tug on his shirt sleeve and looked down. Hannah Wilson, a petite first-grader with two auburn pigtails, incredibly brown eyes and finger paint-spattered jeans, looked up at him.

"Are you gonna come play, Wally?"

He looked at her small brow wrinkled with worry and felt the beginnings of a smile.

"I was only waiting for you, kiddo. C'mon. Let's go." He held out his hand and felt her warm, sticky fingers wrap themselves around his as they started walking.

"Can you push me on the swings?" She tripped on the curb and Wally stopped, holding her hand tightly until she regained her balance.

"Only if you catch me at the bottom of the slide." He glanced down at her, arching an eyebrow.

"Duh, of course I'll catch you," she giggled, "but you're so big you'll probly squish me." She started to walk faster when one of the swings became empty.

Wally paused a moment, tilting his head slightly at her comment. She pulled her hand away from his and ran for the empty swing. Hannah had answered without hesitation, the tone of her tiny voice stunned that he would even have to ask. The small smile he'd been hiding morphed into a full-blown grin and he jogged to catch up. He lifted her onto the swing, giving her a gentle push, then another as she told him to push her higher. Hannah laughed and threw her head back, looking at Wally upside down, and he could see the trust in her eyes. If she fell, she knew he would catch her, much like any of his teammates would catch him if he stumbled. While he knew that and always had, he'd simply needed a reminder.

Hannah jumped off her swing and scurried over to the bottom of the slide, turning back to Wally.

"C'mon, Wally! I'll catch you!"

_Nothing like Captain Marvel and a six year-old to put things into perspective._


End file.
